The AkuRoku Fairy Tale Redux
by Moonlight Mile
Summary: A new and improved rewrite of an old fic I wrote after I was inspired by an odd dream... I just couldn't leave it alone. Prince Axel must marry, and King Xemnas drags the whole kingdom into it. Roxas is not pleased, but Marluxia thinks it's faaaabulous! AkuRoku happy fun times, ftw.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts. I don't make money from this. In fact, I have NEGATIVE INVISIBLE MONEY from student loans. /thumbs up

An AkuRoku Fairy Tale

Chapter One: King Xemnas Lays Down the LAW

Ages ago, in a land far from here, there was a magnificent kingdom. In this kingdom, the people lived happily. It was a beautiful, fertile land where the people thrived; farmers produced bountiful harvests of grains, vegetables, and fruits, and everyone had enough to eat every day. The streams and rivers snaked lazily through the lush, green fields, deep valleys, and picturesque, snow-capped mountains into crystal clear lakes and the rolling ocean. Merchants and craftsmen enjoyed a golden age of business as they supplied the citizens of the kingdom with their wares. The noble families of different provinces watched over the people and governed them fairly, and their soldiers protected the people from any and all danger. Every person lived a happy life… except the king.

The king only had one problem. However, his problem was not with the people; the citizens were peaceful, and they had no cause to rise against him in protest or revolt. His problem was not national debt; the kingdom enjoyed a vault full of treasure and gold—an impressive surplus of wealth. The king did not fear invasion or war; their country enjoyed a great relationship with their neighbors.

The king's headaches were caused by parenting.

Prince Axel had King Xemnas at his wit's end.

In all other aspects, the boy turned out quite well. He was dedicated to his studies, and he practiced with rapier, bow, and his preferred weapon, the chakram, every day. He was a handsome youth, but he never let his good appearances go to his head; he spoke well in front of crowds with an enthusiastic, charismatic grace the king was proud of. He had no doubt his son would make a fine king someday, but…

King Xemnas marched down the hall leading toward the prince's chambers, and the sounds of his stomping boots on the gleaming floors echoed throughout the hall, announcing his presence to all those who could hear it. Any servants within the vicinity knew that King Xemnas was in one of his moods, and they scurried out of the way.

The prince, in his room with a book on his country's history, heard his father's approach.

'Well, here we go again...' He thought.

The great oak doors of his room flew open with great force, crashing against the walls. His father barged in. Axel greeted him with a hello and a tentative smile as he glanced up from his book. Xemnas looked absolutely furious, and his skin was all red and blotchy.

"AXEL!" He bellowed. "You're eighteen! You're a man grown, for fuck's sake, and you need to settle down and get married! I'm not getting any younger, you know, and I want to see you wed BEFORE I'm on my death bed! I want to know you'll be taken care of after I'm gone by someone who loves you—And DON'T YOU ROLL YOUR EYES AT ME!"

"Father, would you calm down?"

Axel hid his smile behind his book. His father's "biological clock" was ticking him off again. Axel was used to hearing these lectures about getting married ever since he hit puberty. The minute he got some scruff and pimples on his chin, his father had set him down for an overdrawn, uncomfortable discussion about what it meant to "be a man." Axel had decided, in the middle of that conversation, that he would give "being a man" his own meaning.

Instead of thinking "I was born a man, so I should behave this way according to society's script of what a man ought to be," Axel had decided his mindset would be this: "I am myself, so I want to become the kind of man I want to be." He was determined to make himself strong in mind, body, and heart. To be sure, his father was proud of his pursuits for the most part, but he was so stubborn about seeing Axel get married even though Axel tried to explain that he wanted to mature and discover love on his own first before he chose a spouse.

"NOIWILLNOTCALMDOWN!"

"Father-"

"Don't you 'Father' me! You are going to get MARRIED, and you are going to like it!" As King Xemnas emphasized the word "married," he jabbed Axel in the shoulder with his finger.

"You can't force me to marry!"

"Oh YES I can! I am KING, boy, and I'm the master of his house! I've been trying to set you up with beautiful princesses and nobles since your voice started cracking, but you turned every single one of them away. Do you know how embarrassing that is for our family? Other royal families set up arranged marriages AT BIRTH, so I won't hear any of your protests. I'm sick of all this 'If I marry, I want it to be for love' crap. You've been saying it since you hit puberty, and you STILL have not found anyone yet. You've had plenty of time to find someone nice to settle down with. Do you even CARE about your future? Do you care that I'm getting older, and I want to see you happy before I die? And I want grandchildren to put on my knee and tell stories to before I'm gone! I want to know our family line will continue, Axel! By the gods, it's driving me up the wall! Therefore, I'm taking matters into my own hands!"

"But-"

"Shut up! There will be a ball in two weeks time, and you will choose your spouse-to-be then. Girl, guy, I don't give a damn, to be quite frank. You're going to pick, and you're going to get married, and that is FINAL."

Before Axel could speak up for himself, his father had taken off down the hall to see that invitations would be sent out immediately. Axel threw his book down on the floor in anger.

"What the hell is he talking about his death bed for? He's forty-one!"

Then he stormed out of his bedroom. He didn't want to sit there and think about this hopeless situation he apparently had no control over.

'I might as well blow off this extra steam,' he thought. He headed to the weapons' room to pick up a few extra hours of practice. He had a feeling he would be spending much of these next two weeks sweating anyway, so he might as well be productive.

End Chapter One.

There. I'm a happier with these revisions.

Notes: Average life expectancy at this time and in this kingdom was somewhere around sixty or seventy. And, if you've lived a very good life, it wasn't surprising if you hit eighty.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Roxas

And so, the king's edict spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom; news of the Prince's engagement ball reached the ears of the subjects by word of mouth faster than the royal messengers could post the thick, luxurious royal parchment in every village square. The land may have been enjoying a prosperous, peaceful age, but boy, the people sure did know how to gossip.

In one small village known as Twilight Town, all of the young ladies (and men) crowded around the declaration in excitement. There was a considerable amount of light pushing and standing on tiptoes to get a better look as well as a great deal of squealing and cheering. The parchments declared that all persons deemed eligible were required to attend the ball (all persons aged eighteen or older—those who were close to the Prince's actual age were the best candidates). Everybody had hoped the Prince would marry soon, but no one had ever dreamed that they might have the chance to be the lucky person to marry him! They were also surprised that the King apparently did not care about the candidates' birth and rank—attendance was mandatory for everyone and anyone who could become a potential match for the Prince. Missing the ball without a very good reason basically amounted to treason… finding the right match for the Prince was for the sake of the country. Consequences for refusing to go would be… severe.

Mandatory or not, the people's eyes shined with hope. Who cares if it was a mandatory event? They were going to go to a BALL at the CASTLE and get a chance to marry a total dreamboat Prince—the dreamiest dream to ever dream from Dreamville. In the days leading up to the ball, every person was excited. Everyone worked hard to prepare their best outfits and engagement gifts to bring upon arrival to the castle.

Well, almost everyone was excited.

"I don't see why I have to be forced to go to this thing," Roxas huffed irritably as his mother jammed another pin into him.

"Will you stop wiggling around? I will never get this thing done if you keep fighting me every step of the way, and the ball is TODAY," his weary mother sighed as she continued to work on his best dress clothes. "You must go Roxas. It's the law. Do you want to break the law and break your dear mother's heart? No. I didn't think you did."

Roxas squeaked with pain as his mother stabbed him with another pin. He felt his heart sink. It was just his luck that his eighteenth birthday happened to fall on the same date as the stupid Prince's ball. If it had been just another day later… maybe even a few weeks later for safety… he wouldn't have to be forced into this situation at all.

"Ohhhh," his mother whined. "I don't know why you aren't as excited as your other friends. Olette looked so cute earlier when she went into the fields to get flowers to make a garland for her hair! And when I saw Hayner earlier in his outfit, he was looking so debonair and grown-up. Poor Pence, he was crying watching his friends get ready for the ball, and he's too young to go… he is SO jealous of you, and he would gladly take your place in a minute, and you are just so ungrateful for the opportunity you've been given. Can't you at least go and try to enjoy yourself?"

"If I could switch places with Pence, I would…" Roxas muttered through gritted teeth under his breath.

"What was that?" His mother asked sharply as she jabbed her son with another pin. "Ohh… I'm sorry, honey. I'm not as good at this as your father was."

Roxas' father was the tailor of Twilight Town, but he left town months ago to become a mercenary, leaving his business in the hands of his family. Roxas didn't know why adults were so strong, but so incredibly stupid. The King was stupid for forcing this ball on everyone. His father was stupid for trying to become a mercenary when he made a great living in the village. He said he had wanted to do it for the adventure as well as the gold. What adventure? It was peace time! Roxas just didn't understand it… He hoped his father hadn't gotten himself lost or killed somewhere.

He didn't want to talk about father with his mother.

"It's alright, mother," Roxas said, lying through his teeth. "These will be fine the way they are."

They looked absolutely dreadful.

She smiled. She totally bought it.

"Well, now, I suppose this is as good as it's going to get. Just be confident—even if messed up your clothes a little bit, if you carry yourself well, that Prince won't be able to resist you."

"Mother…" Roxas felt embarrassed.

"Do you have everything you'll need? The coach will be here to pick you up in an hour! Make sure you meet it in front of Hayner's house." (Note: Roxas, Olette, and Hayner chipped in to share a coach. Like splitting the cost of a limo for prom!)

"Mother… I'm set."

"And you have the gift you're bringing—"

"It's fine."

"Oh. Sorry, I'm just nervous for you."

"…I'm going to go for a walk. I need some air. You know, to calm me down. I think I'm catching your nerves… don't want to be all jittery when I meet the Prince, right? I'll be back before the coach arrives." Roxas smiled softly.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. See you soon!"

'That's what you think…' he thought.

Roxas knew he would be breaking the law. He knew he would break his mother's heart. However… he would pay the price necessary to ensure his freedom! The King was terribly out of line; he would not tolerate this… this… potential forced marriage. He didn't want to be at the ball at all when there was a chance he might be the one chosen. How could he live a lifetime with someone he didn't know… didn't want to know? Screw the consequences! Even if the consequence was death, it was better than decades of unhappiness. If he made it past the village and could travel far enough to clear the border… his life would be entirely his own. He felt like it was worth the gamble.

He would have to be sneaky—sneaky like a little fox.

Roxas made it to the edge of the village. From his vantage point in one of the bushes, he could see the guards posted at the entrances. The guards wore identical, shining armor, and they all had incredibly large chins. These chins were no joke; these chins were so mighty they could fight someone with one chin tied behind their chin while Aladdin's Genie's chin cried in the corner LIKE A GIRL. Roxas tried his best to stay out of sight. He crept toward the forest's edge when suddenly…

SNAP.

Roxas looked down. He'd stepped on a twig—the tiniest twig ever.

"YOU THERE."

He froze in place.

"YES, YOU. STAY WHERE YOU ARE. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Two of the guards approached him. Their armor clanked noisily.

"Um… I'm… uh…" Yes, Roxas. Real smooth.

"ARE YOU… BREAKING THE LAW?!"

"Um?"

"YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW. YOU MUST RETURN TO THE VILLAGE. YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO COMPLY."

That's when Roxas decided it was now… or never. He had three seconds to duck into the forest and attempt to lose the guards. He turned to leave.

"GET HIM!"

Roxas felt the metal of one of the guards' gloves clamp down on his shoulder. So much for his three second head start.

"NOOOO! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THIS STUPID THING! LET ME GO!"

"HE IS RESISTING! HE WILL BE PUNISHED!"

The other guard pulled out a weird looking gun. Roxas' eyes widened. He thought he could be resigned to death if it came down to it, but his survival instinct told him to keep struggling.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

The guard zapped him. He felt everything go fuzzy and then… everything went white. Was this what dying felt like? He closed his eyes, waiting for the end…

But when he opened them, he found his head and arms bound in the stocks back at the village. His head hurt, and it felt like his brains had turned into mush.

"Ugh… it was a teleport ray…"

He looked up to see a very blurry looking crowd.

"What's wrong with him?! Why doesn't he want to meet Prince Axel?"

"I know! He's like, SUCH A DREAMBOAT OHMYGOD!"

"Let's throw rotten fruit on him!"

"YEAAAAAAHHHH!"

"AHHHHH!" Roxas screamed.

His mother watched from the back of the crowd, totally ashamed of her law-breaking criminal of a son. She held her cloak tightly near her face so no one would recognize her as the mother of such a delinquent child. His friends Olette, Hayner, and Pence stood by at the edges of the crowd uncomfortably. They didn't partake in the verbal abuse nor the throwing of rotten foods, but they didn't try to stop it either. Eventually, the crowd dispersed. Olette and Hayner cast a sad glance at Roxas before they got into their coach… the one they were supposed to share with Roxas.

When everyone was gone, the emptiness and silence in the village gave Roxas' mother silent permission to take her son out of the stocks. She tried to wipe away as much of the gunk as possible, but he was still horribly smelly and dirty. His clothes were absolutely ruined. She cried the entire time, but she didn't speak a word to him. Her son had shamed her in front of the entire village, the clothes she had spent so much time working on were ruined, and the coach was gone. There was nothing to say.

"You're my son, and I love you… but you have ruined this day. I did my best… I don't know what else to do now."

And she walked away.

Roxas sat in the muck. He felt… really horrible. He wished he could do something to make it up to his mother.

Wishing, as it turned out, was not the best idea.

POP.

"Are you the one doing the wishing around here—OH. MY. DEAR SWEET TOOTH FAIRY. What IS that rancid STENCH!?" A pink-haired…something… floated above Roxas. It was wearing a pink, puffy, glittery outfit that hurt Roxas' eyes. It held its nose in a disgusted manner.

"Um…" Roxas really had a way with his words today.

"You're probably wondering who I am," the creature said excitedly as it flew around Roxas' head with alarming speed. "I'm Marluxia! I'm your fairy godfather! I'm here to help you so you can be pretty and go dance at the ball and twirl around and around and around and around and you and the Prince can be dizzy in love and-"

"…You mean… aren't you supposed to be a fairy godmother? Isn't that how it's supposed to work?"

"Hey. HEY." Marluxia whacked him over the head with his wand. Sparks shot out of the end of it. "That. Is. Sexism! No, we have fairy godmothers and godfathers now. And we've got a very strong union. Equal opportunity act of 1700. Magical law, you wouldn't be familiar with it, of course..."

Roxas rubbed the top of his head. That had really hurt, and it added to his already unpleasant headache. "Great. And why are you here?"

"You were WISHING, and MY specialty is in getting down-on-their-luck people makeovers. You're on your way to the ball, I presume. My manager told me there was this big to-do tonight… an engagement ball for the Prince! You must really want to go, or I wouldn't be wasting my time here, now would I? Boy, you are a mess though! AND you stink to HIGH HEAVEN. I think it's pretty obvious why I'm here."

"NO," Roxas burst. "I never wanted to go to this thing in the first place! I was hoping to get OUT of it!"

Marluxia chuckled. Roxas wanted to burn him with fire. With fire! ALL OF THE FIRE.

"I'm sorry, kid, but that isn't how things work. Let me elaborate: my job is to make you pretty and send you to the ball. Your job is to go to the ball, meet the Prince, and marry the crap out of him and live happily ever after. This. Is. How. The. World. Works. Now, I'm going to make you PRETTY. That's step one. Got it?"

With a wave of his wand, Roxas suddenly smelled a whole lot better. He felt like he was bathed in a gentle bath of warm water, soap and…pretty smelling stuff. Was that the smell of roses? He took a whiff. Yes, he smelled like roses now. He smelled like a woman.

Marluxia waved his wand again, and he felt like he was wrapped in something comfortable and soft. He looked down at his clothes. Those had changed too. Now he was also DRESSED like a woman; he was wearing a gorgeous blue ball gown that shimmered and flowed beautifully with every movement. The only thing that didn't seem to feel comfortable were the heels his feet were crammed into.

"Um…but… I'm a BOY. The other guys who are going to this thing aren't going in dresses! Though this is really comfortable and there's a really nice airflow… wait. No. NO DRESSES. And these shoes REALLY hurt."

"Do you really think I care? I'm just doing my job. Nothing personal, kid, but it's not always about what you want. You wear a dress. You look fantastic. Heels hurt no matter how much magic I put into making them. That's how it works. You'll wear it and like it. Stop complaining."

Roxas supposed he would have to wear it. At least it was better than being covered in garbage. Or being naked. At this point, he didn't want to argue anymore with the crazy pink fairy with MAGIC POWERS.

"…Fine. I'll go, but I won't like it."

"Oh, you will!" Marluxia winked. "You just don't know it yet. I, however, am a magical being blessed with this gift called foresight."

"…I think you're a crazy quack of a fairy."

Marluxia cackled horribly and then disappeared with another POP. As he departed, Roxas felt a tug and increased pain in his head. Roxas had arrived at the castle.

"I flipping HATE teleporting!" Roxas cried as he rubbed his forehead.

Was that makeup he felt on his face? He groaned.

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Misery Loves Company

Roxas felt eyes all over him when he was announced into the ballroom, and his face grew uncomfortably hot. He recognized some of the people from his little village whispering amongst themselves; they were probably wondering how the heck Roxas made it to the ball and where on earth he was hiding such a magnificent gown. He didn't enjoy being the focus of attention one bit.

The two familiar faces of Hayner and Olette swam in the crowd, parting their way toward their friend. Roxas really didn't want to have to explain anything to them right now. All he wanted was to be left alone… He ducked into swirling, chatting masses in an escape effort. Someone grabbed him by the hand and twirled him in an attempt to initiate a dance with him. Roxas growled deep in his throat as he stumbled along, jerking his hand free from his would-be dance partner. He dodged someone else spilling their drink everywhere, but he nearly slipped in the puddle. Ducking and dipping and dodging through the crowd was making him exhausted… Roxas was distinctly not having the time of his life at this little shindig. He searched desperately for the exit out of this massive ballroom.

_Damn that fairy godfather_, thought Roxas, glowering as a few people looked him up and down suggestively.

He needed to HIDE.

He felt a light squeeze on his buttocks.

_And sexual harassment was just what I needed right now…_Roxas thought as he turned around to smack the groper. He left a stinging, red handprint impression on the young man's face. It was a young man with… really bizarre dirty blond hair.

A mullet? Really?

"YOW!" The man reeled back, holding his face. "A feisty one! Oh, I love spirited little firecrackers like you! You're so full of life and passion! I'll be looking for a dance from you later!"

He winked at Roxas. "Allow me to introduce myself—"

"Augh! No!"

Roxas gathered up his blue skirts and high-tailed it outside…

…And into the lush, expansive garden maze.

…And now he was lost. Did he pass that same rose bush already? That fountain didn't look familiar…

He sighed. "Well, at least I'm well-hidden."

Yes. Well-hidden from all of the eyes, the village people, Olette, Hayner, the loud chatty people, the people with two left feet trying to trample him to death, the groping… and Prince Axel. He hadn't seen Prince Axel tonight yet, nor did he wish to see him ever. Prince Axel was enemy number one, the SCOURGE of his existence. THE SCOURGE, I TELL YOU!

"Not well enough, I'm afraid," said a voice from behind one of the tall hedges. A handsome, red-haired man emerged from behind it.

"Nice dress, by the way." The other man approached Roxas. Roxas felt the hairs on the back of his neck, and he bristled.

"Well, I don't think it's nice. I think it's ridiculous. I didn't even want to go to this thing, but nuh uh, stupid fairy godfather magics me into a dress and drops me off on the Prince's doorstep like a goddamn sacrifice…"

The red-haired man gave him a sympathetic look. "Hey, calm down there… you're not the only one here against your will, you know."

Roxas felt some of the tension leave him as he exhaled slowly. "Oh, so you're hiding too? What a relief… someone else with a bit of sense around here."

"It does seem like everyone's gone mad, haven't they?"

Roxas nodded.

"It's all rather silly… all of these people getting worked up over marrying some Prince they don't even know. It's so overwhelming, isn't it? Knowing one night can change your entire future in such a dramatic way…"

The red-haired man smiled. "That's true. And who can determine in one night if someone is meant to be the one? I guess it can't be helped; the King is in an awful hurry trying to marry off his son. Anyway… if you're uncomfortable in that dress, I live in the castle, and I can help you find more comfortable clothes. Then at least you won't be completely miserable while you're here at this stupid ball. You're a guest here, and as one of your hosts, I will do my best to see you happy while you're here."

"Hey, that would be really amazing! Thank you! You have no idea how grateful I am… you're pretty much a lifesaver. I was dreading going back into that ballroom later… ugh, some guy with crazy hair groped me earlier…"

Roxas' new companion shook his head with a little laugh. "I'm guessing you ran into Demyx, our court composer. He's really brilliant as a musician, and he's fun to hang out with… though sometimes he does get a little overly familiar and playful, as you discovered on your own."

"Overly familiar? He treated my behind like it was a piece of meat."

His new friend let out a loud, deep laugh. "Etiquette has never been Demyx's strong suit. I will need to have words with him later about keeping his hands to himself and respecting others' private space."

"Please do… oh, by the way, we never exchanged names. I'm Roxas. I'm from Twilight Town." Roxas extended his hand.

The other man looked at his hand—a little nervously—and reached out to accept it with his own. Roxas felt the strong grip of his fingers as their hands clasped and shook heartily. He felt… a little bit dizzy.

"My name's… Fred."

Roxas let his hand fall away. "Okay, Fred. Lead the way."

"Just leave it to me!" 'Fred' winked. He turned to head back into the maze. "We'll have to be really sneaky—if we get spotted, mad King Xemnas might throw us at that poor Prince…"

That last comment gave Roxas reason to pause a moment. Maybe he had been too hard on the Prince—this whole thing wasn't his idea after all. Still, he wouldn't be stuck here if the stupid Prince still needed to get married. He could have any single Princess anywhere—everyone always said so. As the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom, he could have anyone he wanted.

Why on Earth did Roxas have to be here?

"Right. Fred. We'll have to be stealthy… I should probably leave my heels behind. They'll make too much noise." Roxas kicked off his heels. One of them plunked into the fountain nearby, and the other one flew over one of the hedges. On the other side of the tall hedge, someone howled in pain.

"Who the heck threw a shoe?!"

"Run!" Fred grabbed hold of Roxas as they made their daring escape through the maze.

End Chapter


	4. Chapter 4

AkuRoku Fairy Tale: The Final Chapter

"So… you live here in the castle." Roxas said slowly as they traveled through the seemingly endless hallways and stairwells of the castle.

'Wow, I need to work on my small talk,' thought Roxas.

"Yep, I live here in the castle." Fred shrugged. "Been here my whole life."

"Your whole life?"

'Great, now I'm a parrot.'

"Yeah. This is home sweet home."

"It must be really different from village life," Roxas stated lamely.

"Probably very true… What do you do in your village?"

"Oh, um… I help my mother run my father's shop. He's a tailor. Er, well, he's not there anymore."

"That's a bummer. You probably miss him a bunch…"

"Yeah, I do…" Roxas muttered. "But he's such a pain in the butt sometimes."

Fred laughed softly. "Yeah, my old man's a pain in the butt sometimes too. Sometimes I wonder if he's going senile. He'll just blow things out of proportion sometimes, you know?"

"Sometimes adults can be kind of stupid, but they mean well…"

Roxas thought of his mother. 'She works so hard, and she's always trying to do what she thinks is right for me… I love her, and I know she loves me… but why couldn't she just listen to what I really wanted? What I really needed?'

"—but their perspective can be out of whack."

"Huh? I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Roxas shook his head slightly. "Sorry, I got caught up thinking…"

"Hey," said Fred. "It's cool. Lots to think about on a day like this… I was just saying that parents try so hard to do what's right for their kids, but their perspective can be out of whack. Like, for instance, I have no desire to marry some total stranger, but my old man keeps trying to force marriage on me…"

"Yeah, I was thinking similar thoughts… my mom tried really hard earlier today to make me dress clothes for this ball, but I just wished she would listen to what I was really feeling."

"But she didn't make that dress for you, did she? You said some godfather put you in it…"

"Well… I tried to escape, but I got caught. The villagers threw rotten food to humiliate me while I was in the stocks. I wouldn't be here at all if that fairy godfather hadn't intervened…"

A bead of sweat appeared on Fred's brow. He wiped at it with his handkerchief, refolded it, and tucked it back into his pocket. "So forced to be here every step of the way… I'm really sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry you have to go through this." Fred gave him a very sad look.

"Hey…" Roxas was no good at this. "Cheer up—we'll stick out the rest of the night together. We'll be safe. Neither of us will have to worry if we can just keep away from the Prince."

Fred gave Roxas a very pained expression and kept silent. He opened the door to his room, and the two of them ducked inside.

"You… don't really like the Prince much do you?" Fred asked quietly.

"I'm... he's not my favorite person right now." Roxas admitted. "I understand that the King forced everyone to go to this thing, but… if the Prince picked someone earlier, maybe there wouldn't have been so much trouble in the end."

Fred rifled through his closet, throwing different articles of clothing out onto the floor and onto the bed. He kept his eyes off Roxas.

"Isn't it terrible though?" He murmured. "He's been forced a crappy hand too. Just like you, Roxas. And if he doesn't choose tonight, he loses his freedom to choose entirely. He won't be safe after tonight if he refuses to choose because King Xemnas will choose for him."

"That's pretty awful… It's just… I always thought these marriages were more, uh, political in nature." Roxas felt foolish; of course there was a more human side to royal marriage. Didn't everyone want that feeling? To feel loved and wanted as a person?

"They usually are," Fred admitted. "People complain about how picky the Prince is, but he really just wants to be with someone he wants to grow old with."

"You sound like you know Prince Axel pretty well," Roxas noted. "Maybe he could be happy if he married you?"

Fred sputtered. "Oh no, man… that would be insanely weird. Trust me."

Roxas started picking over the clothes Fred was chucking at him. "Well, if the Prince refuses to choose, he might end up getting stuck with you anyway… I mean, if you're going to be stuck with someone the rest of your life, wouldn't you rather be stuck with someone you're at least comfortable being around?"

Even as he said it, Roxas felt an odd twinge in his belly. He didn't like the idea of Fred being some Prince's consolation prize.

"Hey, you know what, Fred? Why don't you just marry me instead? We could run away together." Roxas spat out.

Fred knocked his head against the closet door in surprise. "You don't just ask a question like that out of nowhere, Rox." He rubbed the spot on his head where it collided with the door.

"Why not? It would take us both out of the running, and we'd both be able to choose it of our own free will. You won't be stuck in a position where you might end up as the Prince's consolation prize, and I can prove my fairy godfather wrong. We're both sensible people, and I've been enjoying my time with you so far. I'm not interested in anybody else. I think you're a very likeable guy…"

'Words just keep tumbling out of your mouth, Roxas… do you even know how desperate and stupid you sound?' Roxas felt his chest get tighter and his face grew hot again.

"I'm sorry… I can't just… up and leave this place." Fred turned to look Roxas right in the eye.

"Oh." Roxas felt like someone slugged him in the gut, and the sound of that 'oh' was the wind getting knocked out of him.

"I'm sorry, ah, I can't leave my father and my responsibilities… and it wouldn't feel right forcing you to be stuck with me for the rest of your life."

Roxas shrugged. "I really, really wouldn't mind it… My instincts are telling me you're a good person, and you have common sense. Did I emphasize the common sense part enough? It's pretty refreshing. You're probably the best person I've ever met, and out of all of the ridiculous people I've met—both here at this party and in my village—I honestly think this is as good as it will ever get."

Fred playfully batted his eyelashes, giggling. "Wow, you really know how to sweet talk a guy." He said in a sweet, falsetto.

"Just being realistic."

'Realistic, right. Just being realistic.' Roxas felt his heart fluttering wildly, beating as if it wanted to break forth from his rib cage and fly free.

"You drive a hard bargain, Roxas. I pledge you my troth."

Fred took Roxas' hand, much smaller than his own, and wrapped his fingers around it. They were both blushing.

"Er… ditto."

"Great! Now let's get you out of those clothes!" Fred flashed him a toothy, roguish grin.

"WHAT?" Roxas' face erupted with splotches of red.

'Oh no! I'm engaged to a pervert!'

"We were going to get you NEW clothes, remember?" He waggled his eyebrows at Roxas. "What did you THINK I meant?"

"It just sounded WEIRD, okay?!"

"Roxas, you're a total perv. I wouldn't deflower you after knowing you for a couple hours… geez, I'm not some manwhore like Demyx! I want to get to know you, and I want to explore how compatible we are… we're going to be married at some point. And maybe, eventually, you're going to have to learn how to be comfortable with the idea of our naked bodies touching and stuff."

"B-b-but…"

"But not yet."

Roxas let out a relieved sigh.

"And since we're going to be married, I want to be honest with you. You're probably going to be angry with me about it, but I want to clear the air so that our relationship starts off with a strong foundation of truth and trust. You see, I didn't give you my real name…"

Roxas stared at his intended suspiciously. "WAIT," Roxas threw his hands up in the air to cut off Fred...

"Wait. Wait. Let me guess. You're the goddamn Prince after all. That's how it's supposed to go right? All roads have been running toward this since the beginning—the stupid edict, the stupid fairy godmother, the stupid dress, the stupid ball full of perverts, trying to hide alone in the garden only to run into the nicest, best looking stranger in the whole damn place…"

"You think I'm the nicest, best looking guy here?" Axel interrupted, his voice lilting a bit.

"You just shut your mouth, don't interrupt me," Roxas snapped. Axel shrank back.

His eye was twitching. He was cursing FATE inwardly. Still…

He sighed. He felt like he lost and won at the same time. He found Prince Axel on accident, not really knowing who he was, and HE made the choice to propose, not Axel. He couldn't blame him for any of this.

"You know what? I'm not mad."

"No?"

"No. You probably gave me a false name because you were worried about how I might react if I knew who you were right away… This was probably a good move. I might have throttled you and never gotten the chance to have a conversation with you at all."

Roxas slid his arms around Axel's neck. This made Axel nervous… especially after the comment about throttling. Instead, Roxas stood up on his tippy toes to reach eye level with Axel. His icy blue eyes bore into Axel's.

"I like you, Axel. I liked you as a person before I realized you were a prince," he whispered against Axel's parted lips, and then he sealed their mouths together with a soft kiss. He felt high as a kite; he felt like he could climb the highest mountains and touch the stars; it was everything a first kiss ought to have been. He almost regretted pulling away, but he had to breathe sometime.

Axel look completely stunned…

'And completely stunning,' Roxas licked his lips.

"But," Roxas breathed. "If we had been in that ballroom, if you had plucked me out of the crowd arbitrarily, I would have punched you right in the face." Roxas said this with all of the seriousness he could muster.

"Well, then… I'm glad things worked out like this." Axel leaned in to recapture Roxas' lips, returning the kiss.

"Er… I hate to break the mood, but… what time is it anyway?" Roxas asked, glancing around the room to try to spot a clock somewhere.

"Hmm… probably getting close to midnight, why?" Axel was NOT concerned about the time. He just wanted more delectable Roxas kisses.

"This dress is not going to last past midnight, Axel."

"Why ROXAS, I thought you wanted to WAIT." Axel gave him a scandalized look.

"AHH! I do! I do! It's just… this dress is fairy godmother magic, and I'm pretty sure the rule with fairy godmother magic is that it GOES AWAY at midnight."

"Then let's go get you into some real clothes then! Fear not, my dear! I will protect your dignity!" Axel scooped Roxas up into his arms like a heroic savior and twirled him around.

"Axel, please put me down and look away so I can get dressed."

"As you command."

"Now THAT is more like it."

'Yes,' Roxas thought. 'It's good to have someone who listens.'

He began to strip.

THE END


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